Football Betting Overview »

In football, there are three possible outcomes: win, lose or draw. The likelihood of one team beating the other is reflected in the odds. For example, if Barcelona were to play Huddersfield Town, the odds for Barcelona to win would be much shorter (i.e. you would get less return on your wager) than those of Huddersfield. The draw market in this game would also be a bigger price, since the probability of a Barcelona victory would be high.

However, in a game of this nature, there is little point in placing a bet on Barcelona to win, because the odds would be so short that the return would be very small, unless a very large wager was made. As a result of this, you’ll find plenty of other markets on online bookmakers such as Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and Bet365 that offer more than just the standard win, lose or draw outcomes. First scorer, anytime scorer, correct score and half-time/full-time are just some of the varied options available to a backer.

One of the most popular of these is the ‘first scorer’ market, where a prospective punter can place a bet on the team and player he thinks is going to score first. The odds are better here, because there is a chance that any one of twenty two players (plus oncoming substitutes) could be the first to score.

Other popular football betting markets offered by online bookmakers include half-time/full-time, where you can place money on one team being ahead at half time and the other at full time, or vice versa. Alternatively, the backer can gamble that one team will be ahead at both half and full time, or that it will be a draw at half-time and one of the teams will go on to win at full-time. Lastly, the punter can bet that the score will be a draw both midway through and at the end of the game.

One of the most popular methods of football betting comes in the form of the accumulator bet. Here, backers increase the potential return on their wager by betting on numerous teams to win, lose or draw, shortening their odds with every game but putting themselves in with the chance of a windfall. The number of teams you can bet on is entirely up to you, as is the stake, and your odds reflect the likelihood that all lines of the bet are successful.

Similarly, it is now possible to bet on ‘both teams to score’. This is pretty self-explanatory, in that a punter is again given a list of matches, and asked to pick games in which he thinks both teams will score. The difference is that there are now only two possible outcomes to each match: ‘will score/won’t score’ as opposed to the win, lose or draw outcome in accumulator bets.

When it comes to football betting, online bookmakers now offer a wide range of markets that cover just about any potential eventuality, should you fancy putting your knowledge of the beautiful game to the test.